What's the best science fiction book you have ever read which has changed your perspective since?

[M]

Many years ago, I remember devouring the entire "Foundation" series, along with its prequels, one after another. It was that good. The idea of a universe unfolding with or without human intervention was captivating. Then I read "Contact" and "The Three-Body Problem', followed by "Once Upon a Blue Moon", an anthology of short science fiction stories. Different in premise, yet all of them shifted my perspective on time, progress, and the delicate paradox of our existence. Insignificant in scale, yet capable of shaping the future in ways beyond imagination.

That perspective took root over a decade ago. Today, as a quantum scientist, those ideas feel more real than ever. Not in the exact form imagined, but as a quiet urgency. The time is here. The choices we make now will shape what comes next.

And on this note, I would love to hear your experience. What science fiction books have stayed with you long after you turned the last page? Which ones reshaped the way you see the world, in ways you can never quite undo... for better or for worse?

[Wendy]

“The Three Body Problem” trilogy blew me away. It is just so so smart in its imagining of how different groups of people may plausibly react to knowledge of first contact. And each book continued to surprise me while also seemingly realistically representing exactly how events might unfold and smartly working through the challenges posed. I continue to think about this series often and find myself recommending it to others as often as I can. This, for me, definitely qualifies as exceptional!